Best coasters in Texas???

[thrillgeek]

I'm just trying to prepare myself mentally for the Texas Trip next year and just out of curiosity. What in your opinions are the best wood and steel coasters in Texas?

[Wood Dragon 1988]

I've ridden four coasters in Texas: Judge Roy Scream, Mine Train, Mini Mine Train, and BTR.....I'm pretty sure none of those are the best LOL! Hmmmm, perhaps I should go on that trip....

 

Actually, BTR might be the best, but I would guess my favorite would be Steel Eel or Mr. Freeze, because I like Morgan Hypers and Premier Launchers more than most.

[CD]

Well I've been on every operating coaster in Texas and there are some great ones.

 

I would have to say for steel:

 

Titan (extra helix awesomness!!)

Mr Freeze

Steel Eel

Superman Krypton Coaster

Batman/Great White

and the very underrated (SIT IN THE BACKSEAT FOR AMAZING EJECTOR AIR) Shockwave

 

and for wood... well there really aren't any good wooden coasters but if you like to be in pain:

 

Texas Giant

Rattler

Judge Roy Scream (sadly, probably the best)

[Bolliger&Mabillard]

I visited the three Texas parks this past summer. I don't mind sharing what I think is good and what I think is bad. Of course this is just my taste, but it will give you an Idea if you've never been.

 

SFoT:

 

Titan-Damn good ride. I know it's just Goliath with an extra helix, but that helix makes a big difference. I also think that Titan carries it's speed better and has a faster pace than Goliath.

 

Mr. Freeze-If the choice were up to me, this would be the best coaster in the park. Sure it isn't the fastes or tallest ride out there, but the launch is thrilling, and the return through the tophot is slightly slower, giving you some massive hangtime.

 

Batman-A Standard clone. Good, but you already know what to expect.

 

Judge Roy Scream-Fun, concise out-an-back design. Not a high adrenaline thrill ride, but fun if you enjoy nostalgia

 

Texas Giant-Think "Psyclone", but 45 seconds longer. Ride it for the credit, and forget that the ride even exisists.

 

Tony Hawk: Credit.Nothing more.

 

La Vibora-As awesome and fun as everyone says it is.

 

Shockwave-I had fun, Oldie but a damn goodie!

 

Cool non-credits:

 

Yosimite Sam's dark ride. While not the best dark ride out there, I could see families enjoying rides like this over Mack wild mouse and GCI coasters.

 

Superman Tower of Power-Simply the best S&S combo tower I've been on. Period.

 

SFFT:

 

Superman:Krypton Coaster-On my very exclusive list of best B&M's ever built. Raised to a cliff, dropped off the cliff, coming out of the vertical loop, then dropped off of it again. Also 10x more intense than Scream!

 

Rattler-Another one of those "do it for the credit" rides. Not as rough as TG, but still pretty rough.

 

Poltergheist-Cool Premire launch coaster, It's an off-the-shelf design, but it's still pretty cool.

 

SWSA

 

Steel Eel-Airtime, speed, swoops and dips, this ride is like a coaster geek's dream.

 

Great White-Another Batman clone, you know it's good.

 

 

Everything else is just a matter of choice. I hope you find my information insightful.

[almightyfire]

Well I know I am gonna get it for this one but I love The Texas Giant and Mr. Freeze. Now we dont really have a dynamic coaster here, most are mediocre. We need a really good woodie and a Nitro. Superman is ok at SFFT but I am not a fan of Loops at all. Nitro is my type of coaster and I know I will love Diamondback. Now Titan doesnt do much for me either. Not enough airtime.

[thrillgeek]

Haha ok thanks for the info. I'm sure Schilliterbaun will be the best part of the trip anyway. Well.....actually meeting my favorite celebs (Robb and Elissa) will be the best part

[coolhandluke]

Don't forget that Great White is a shortened B:TR, and not quite an *exact* clone. Less track but the same elements equals an even more intense version of an already intense layout. Some other TRs on the site affirm this.

[paintballer]

Hmmm, I'm going with....Arghhhh Hard decision.....Mr. Freeze...Or Titan...It's definitley at SFoT if that helps you!

[thrillerman1]

Don't forget Little Coaster at Joyland in Lubbock. That old Miler kiddie coaster is a blast. I think the ride op sent us around the circuit a total of 9 times!

[thrillgeek]

Has anyone been on the Boardwalk Bullet? I know Robb has but I never really heard a review from him. This isn't the best woddie in Texas?

 

 

MOD EDIT: I suggest you use the search function on TPR. Larrygator

[paintballer]

OH NO. No. No.... I would rate freakin' Rattler as better then BB... Wouldn't waste my time going down there If I were you...

[thrillgeek]

Jeeez....that bad huh? Well...it is on the planned trip so I'm not going to pass it up.

[paintballer]

Well, I've heard mixed opinions..I guess it has its ups and down days.

Anyway, I'm sure if your hitting SFoT and The Boardwalk, you will have a good apreciation for how big Texas is!

[larrygator]

Don't forget Little Coaster at Joyland in Lubbock. That old Miler kiddie coaster is a blast. I think the ride op sent us around the circuit a total of 9 times!

 

Sounds like the great unexpected experience I had on the Paechtree Express at Schnepf Farms outside of Phoenix.

 

Back on topic - Roadrunner Express at SFFT will be a surprisingly good ride for many, it does look like much but is one of the best of its kind.

[Flippero95]

I'm sort of old school, so I love the Shockwave. I rode it the first time when I was 6 and have loved it ever since.

 

I'll be gracefully declining riding Texas Giant on the trip, it's way too painful. But I think Judge Roy Scream is just plain old fun (not thrilling, but fun).

 

Titan and Steel Eel are fun too!

[GuruGuys]

Boardwalk Bullet is down for the time being due to Ike and other planned maintenance. Hopefully when it is back up it will be running as good (or better) than ever. Even with its ups and downs I wouldn't rate Giant or Rattler better than Bullet. Remember most of the TPR folk rode (or got opinions) from the TPR Film Shoot when the coaster was running pretty rough (the first drop still wasn't fixed). European Coaster Club came through a bit later and received a better running coaster. So far I've only read one person that rated Rattler better than Bullet (someone earlier in this thread).

 

European Coaster Club hit all the Texas parks which you can use for further opinion and reference:

 

http://coasterclub.org/trips/reports/2008/AA2008/

 

-GG

[paintballer]

I'm sort of old school, so I love the Shockwave. I rode it the first time when I was 6 and have loved it ever since.

 

 

Dude, I love Shockwave. Never a line, it's almost like 24/7 ERT with Airtime!!!

[JimmyBo]

It's all about the Texas Tornado at Wonderland in Amarillo. It's waaaaaay better than any other ride in Texas...even the Mini Mine Train at SFOT. Second to Texas Tornado would be Journey to Atlantis at SWSA.

 

Jimmy "If you don't believe me then buy my DVD" Bo

[texcoaster]

It depends on what you like.

 

If you like speed and smoothness with serious poz G's, then Titan is your ride. Mr Freeze and Poltergeist would be in a run for second place. All are good rides. Also, don't let Great White at Sea World fool you into thinking "just another Bat-clone"... it's a bit smaller and more intense.

 

If you like old-school funness, then Shock Wave, Mine Train, and Judge Roy Scream are right up your alley. Shock Wave has some niiiiiice air in the back seat, too.

 

Custom designs and one-of-a-kind layouts your thing? S:Krypton is a beauty, and Boardwalk Bullet is just about the most bizarre wooden coaster layout anywhere. If you catch it on a good day, it's also the best woodie in the state. Catch it on a bad day, and well... see the next section.

 

Like pain? Texas Giant is your dream ticket. Find a wheel seat in one of the last three cars and leave your hands up the whole ride. Steel Eel can also be a good source of back pain on the return leg, and Rattler will loosen your fillings. Oh, and catch Boardwalk Bullet on a bad day and you'll probably need physical therapy just to get down the exit ramp.

 

Fiesta Tx has a decent raft ride and a killer Frisbee and SFoT has a quirky dark water ride that was ruined by a Looney Tunes makeover.

[Mozart67]

I'm almost afraid to see what SFoT looks like now. I'm going on the Texas Trip next year (my first TPR trip..woohoo) and while everything sounds great, the last time I was at SFoT was in 1980, just after Judge Roy opened. You know you're aging when you see best Texas coasters and the first three out of your mouth are Big Bend, Texas Cyclone and Shockwave.

Question: when you talk about a woodie being rough, are you talking a little discomfort or actual pain? I know that's kind of a dumb-sounding question; the reason being I rode Compounce's Wildcat last summer and needed 5 chiropractic visits to undo what Wildcat did.

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

^Not going to ride Wildcat if it did THAT to you! Well, it depends on the woodie. I rode Rattler, and it wasn't so bad. It's rough, maybe on a scale of 1-10 (1 being B&M smooth and 10 being 1000 year old Arrow rough), a 5. It's just enough to rattle your teeth a little bit (hence the name "Rattler") I haven't been SFoT yet, but I think Texas Giant would probably rate a 4 or so. I think the roughest woodie I've been on was Mean Streak at Cedar Point, felt like 10 but it was at night.

[texcoaster]

Giant is far, far, FAR rougher than Rattler.

 

Rattler has a few body slams, and is a little bit uncomfortable in the molasses helix, but that's about it.

 

Giant is more or less like strapping yourself to a jackhammer that's on a cart with square wheels on a dirt road at 60mph. With no padding. Naked.

 

 

Now, let me say this: in the early days when Giant was brutal, but only brutal because it was doing a crazy layout at insane speeds and tossing its riders around in the car with laterals, I loved it. It was by far my #1 coaster. In the last several years, however, it has been trimmed to death, the laterals are gone, and all the roughness is due to the worn-out track and old wood. It's not even close to making my top 10 when it rides like this.

 

Yes, the comparison to Mean Streak is valid here. I don't mind a coaster being rough, but I don't like it when the roughness is unnecessary. Note to Six Flags: when you build a woodie, PLEASE budget enough funds to keep it running well as it ages.

[montezooma]

For speed and great negative and positive g's try Greezed Lightnin'

 

XLR-8 is pretty good for the second attempt at suspended coasters, it is better in the backwards facing cars.

 

Texas Cyclone is not what it used to be but still a fun, nostalgic ride.

 

Don't forget Viper a classic Schwarzkopf looper...

 

...oh wait, I forgot, scratch all that. No reason to go to Houston anymore.

[chrguy606]

Well,lets just go and give a shout out to my favorite non exisent rides suchs as X-LR8, Texas Cyclone, and Excalibur....RIP....

 

ok, now thats done, steel would probablly be a tie for Titan and Superman. I've been on titanmore than nough times to know its a great ride, but since after the first season they slow you down sooooo much on the block brakes....blah. Superman, only a few times, but it was my first floorless and was another great B&M.

 

Wood, well,

i still go with Texas Giant, even though it has been getting a bit rougher everytime I ride it, even after ll of the modifications to it. Rattler isn;t too bad, but after the first two drops, it got kinda boring. the helix wasn;t too much fun for me.

 

I wish that we could get some really great new coasters, but the problem is that our two biggest parks are so enclosed. SSoT by all of the other stuff around it and SSFT but the quary walls and the parking lot. Would love to see a flying coaster, a B&M hyper, or, dare I say, S&S/Arrow 4D. Wishful thinking on my part, I guess.

[kenshinmac]

I'm almost afraid to see what SFoT looks like now. I'm going on the Texas Trip next year (my first TPR trip..woohoo) and while everything sounds great, the last time I was at SFoT was in 1980, just after Judge Roy opened. You know you're aging when you see best Texas coasters and the first three out of your mouth are Big Bend, Texas Cyclone and Shockwave.

Question: when you talk about a woodie being rough, are you talking a little discomfort or actual pain? I know that's kind of a dumb-sounding question; the reason being I rode Compounce's Wildcat last summer and needed 5 chiropractic visits to undo what Wildcat did.

Please say you are kidding...

 

Lake Compounce's Wildcat was a kitten... It didn't hurt a bit when I rode it on the East Coast Trip (heck the boomerang hurt me a heck of a lot more). I will suggest you never ever go on any of the wooden coasters at Kings Dominion and frankly Morey's Piers' Great White was quite uncomfortable as well. I really hope you are kidding about the 5 visits...